June 8, 2009

Adult cutthroat trout in the Salt River watershed were tracked from September-October 2005 until August 2006 using implanted radio transmitters. The fish were caught in the main river stem, spent October-March largely sedentery in pools, started to move more in April and then increased May-June for the spawning season, when 44% of the 43 fish remained in Salt River in April 2006, 37% moved to mountain streams, and 19% into spring streams, almost all preferring streams with manmade pools and gravel-cobble riffles. The fish didn’t use streams that dewatered in the summer or were blocked by manmade barriers.

April 16, 2009

The Periyar Tiger Reserve, India, is supported by the India Eco-Development Project (PTR-IEDP), an integrated conservation and development project (ICDP) funded by donors. The project has been internally evaluated as successful, although out of the US$6million received, only 43.2% went to community-based conservation activities. When an independent survey of 180 people (half of whom had benefited from the PTR-IEDP, half of whom had not) was carried out, 71.1% of those who had benefited said their attitude to conservation was not changed by the project, and of the 55 community benefits only 36.4% were still being used.

April 5, 2009

Of 612 Mediterranean Killifish caught in the Gulf of Gabès, Tunisia, 54 (8.8%) had deformed spines, and were 8 times more likely to be deformed when from polluted areas. Deformities occurred less frequently as size increased, more often in fish under 25mm long.

March 22, 2009

Journal: Biological Control
Location: ?

The invasive Japanese knotweed has 180 natural arthropod enemies; the sap-sucking jumping plant louseAphalara itadori may be the first authorised for use in the European Union. 146,885 A. itadori eggs were laid, and it took 33 days to go through 5 nymph stages at 23oC. 1.52% of eggs laid on 87 species or varieties of plants were not on Japanese knotweed, but these did not become adults. When nymphs were transferred to Maidenhair vine, 7% developed to adulthood.

March 20, 2009

In 30 managed forests (180ha in total) in boreal Sweden surveyed before harvest, 33 red listbryophyte and lichen species (35% of all red list species that have been observed in that part of Sweden) were found, ranging from 5 to 16 species per stand (10 on average), or 6 per hectare. This is more frequent than in designated hot-spot areas. 51% of species were growing on dead trees, and 48% on live. Mature managed forests may be important habitats for red list bryophyte and lichen species.

March 18, 2009

In the 1990s, there was a 90% decline in horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) egg availability due to a 10-fold increase in harvesting for bait, resulting in a decline in body weight of their predator the red knot (Calidris canutus rufa), which congregates in the Delaware Bay every May to feed on the eggs. Between 1997 and 2007 red knots declined by 75%, and the proportion weighing more than 180g by their usual departure from the Bay (26th-28th May) decreased from 0.6-0.8 to 0.14-0.4. The horseshoe crab harvest has continued to increase despite restrictions, and red knots are not recovering.

In Baltimore, 6.6% of trees die annually, with an annual decrease in the number of trees of 4.2%. Particularly high mortality rates are seen on sites used for transportation, and commercial and industrial areas, whereas residential areas have relatively few tree deaths. Urban forestry in Baltimore is projected to decline.

Transplanting was followed by a reduction in growth in four deciduous tree species in Norway, but not in Rowan. After one season, Norway Maple, Horse Chestnut, Wild Cherry and and Common Lime ‘Pallida’ had shoot growth reduced by 38-86%, and leaf surface area by 13-61%. In the second season, shoot growth was reduced in Norway Maple by 71% and by 81% in Horse Chestnut, which did not return to normal growth in the third season.